Epergne

In aristocratic homes in eighteenth-century France, lavishly laid dining tables were often decorated with an epergne—an ornamental centerpiece made of silver, porcelain, or sometimes glass. This splendid example was made in Britain at a time when a French style of dining became fashionable. The central serving dish was designed to display desserts such as marzipan or fruit. Four branches curve gracefully from the center, supporting sockets that would have held interchangeable dishes for food and flowers, or candleholders, as here.

Image Caption

William Cripps, Epergne, 1753, silver. Clark Art Institute, gift of Robert Armstrong Robinson in memory of the Rev Canon Darwin Kirby, Jr, DD, LHD, 2007.18